


(you can't tell me that you ain't) Never Been Wrong Before

by dls



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Civil War Team Iron Man, First Impressions, Gen, Marvel Trumps Hate 2018, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 22:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18678394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: Tony Stark just couldn't seem to get it right where the Avengers were concerned.Or: 5 Times Tony Stark Tried to Prove the Avengers Wrong and the 1 Time He Stopped Trying





	(you can't tell me that you ain't) Never Been Wrong Before

**Author's Note:**

  * For [esteefee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteefee/gifts).



> My creation for the [Marvel Trumps Hate](https://marveltrumpshate.tumblr.com/) fandom auction. 
> 
> Thank you to esteefee for your generous donation, for your patience, and for your love for Tony Stark. ❤
> 
> Beta-ed and cheerled by [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal/pseuds/Arboreal). 
> 
> References/Quotes:   
>  Title from "Something Wrong" by Time Flies.   
>  _Iron Man 2_. _Avengers_. _Iron Man 3_. _Avengers: Age of Ultron_. _Ant Man_. _Captain America: Civil War_.

**One.**

"Which leads us to believe at this juncture we’d only like to use you as a consultant." Fury stated with a hint of condescension that was just enough to sting but could be passed off as a misunderstanding if pressed.

Tony stared at the file, the few sentences that had summed up his personality and declared him lacking. Indignation buzzed in his veins and he was sorely tempted to throw the folder in Fury's face and leave, maybe even slam the door for good measure, but he stayed in the uncomfortable office chair.

Something was off.

The way that Fury had chosen for this conversation, piquing Tony's interest in the Avengers Initiative only to snatch it away by revealing how little SHIELD thought of him then offering him the consulting position like a consolation prize to a sore loser. Fury could have easily rearranged the sequence in an order less likely to put Tony immediately on the defensive.

Fury was too much of a veteran to make a rookie mistake; this was deliberate.

A test, then, to see if Tony really was as compulsive as Natasha's assessment claimed. He would be a fool to lose this little mind game by proving them right but it didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun first, at their expense, of course.

Tony stood, slightly annoyed that the change in position only put him at eye-level with Fury who was perched on the edge of the desk. Height had never been one of Tony's many advantages. Silently, he held out his hand and made sure it was a bit too far into Fury's personal space.

Disbelief flickered in Fury's eye as he was forced to lean back to accept the handshake.

Tony felt a thrill of pride at surprising a master spy and a wave of irritation at how they had underestimated him. Again. He clasped his other hand on top of Fury's, a gesture that contradicted the smug smile and casual dismissal. "You can't afford me." As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Fury's shocked profile and inwardly crowed. "Then again." He pivoted on his heel. "I will waive my customary retainer in exchange for a small favor. Rhodey and I are being honored in Washington and we need a presenter."

"I'll see what I can do." Fury conceded with a small nod and Tony inwardly crowed with victory.

*

"The Sokovia Accords." Ross announced. "Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary." His drawl was as infuriating as ever.

And just as effective too, Tony noted from his position in the back of the room. One by one, his teammates' postures stiffened, shoulders either hunched forward or pulled back in a defensive ripple that foretold the brewing argument.

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Steve pointed out, sounding perfectly logical and missing the point at the same time.

Ross peered down at Steve, his tone gentle and patronizing as if speaking to a child. "Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?"

Steve's silence was answer enough.

"If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes..." Ross paused meaningfully. "You can bet there'd be consequences."

Tony chewed the inside of his cheek, biting down on the hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat. He had become part of another system with zero accountability _again_. Only this time, he was a consultant, a position he had accepted because...

With a crushing clarity, Tony remembered his conversation with Fury six years ago and realized Fury had actually ducked his head to hide a smile.

**Two.**

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?" Steve's voice drifted through the suit's audio system, nowhere as booming and hostile as it had been on the helicarrier but it still carried the same sour note of doubt.

_I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you._

Tony bit back the sarcastic retort and adjusted his thrusters to accommodate the boost of speed from the nuclear missile clutched in his gauntleted hands. "Save the rest for return, Jay."

"Sir. Shall I call Ms. Potts?"

Pepper's photo flashed on the display and Tony wished that he had one of her real smile, eyes crinkling and teeth showing, instead of the standard Stark Industries staff picture with her lips politely curved.

The same expression Aunt Peggy had affected whenever cameras flashed at Stark functions or whenever the topic of Captain America was brought up. Steve had been on the phone with her when he crashed the Valkyrie into the Arctic, their last exchange an empty promise that provided little comfort. If Tony were a better man, he would want to spare Pepper the heartbreak and go it alone. "You might as well."

No answer. At least the universe was looking out for her.

The wormhole loomed before him. For a moment, his thoughts were filled with an unshakable understanding of his own mortality, his heart thudding so fast and so hard that he was half-afraid it would dislodge the arc reactor. A reminder that he shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason. Maybe this was it. Or maybe he could do more if he took his own advice and cut the damn wire. He would need to get the angles just right and add in an extra push on the release-

_Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero._

Gritting his teeth, Tony flew through the portal.

*

"If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us?"

Three years later, Tony could still hear the same doubt in Steve's questions. It was as if nothing had changed, which for the Avengers, maybe nothing had. But for Tony, everything was different the moment he had left Earth behind.

Ultron was an idea born out of the same desperation that had driven him to create Iron Legion, a suit of armor around the world, a world that was more vulnerable than its protectors wanted to believe against a threat more terrifying than the stuff of nightmares.

None of the Avengers were haunted by the vastness of space and the armada sprawled across it. What they had was blind optimism that they could accomplish anything as a team, _together_ , and time had amplified that confidence into arrogance.

"We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

How could Steve say that, and believe in it, when Tony could still see the evidence of the destruction their hands had wrought even though they were no longer on display?

New York and D.C., collateral damages.

Sokovia and Lagos, acceptable losses.

Tony met Steve's gaze, glancing down for once because Steve had remained seated as Tony paced. Even with their height difference in his favor, he still felt three feet tall under the weight of the sheer earnestness in Steve's eyes, only now Tony had a hard time believing it.

Just how safe were the hands that were willing to lay down the lives of others on the wire?

**Three.**

"What about the Avengers, can you talk about them?"

"I don't know, later." Half of Tony wanted to run away from the memory of New York and the other half was frozen in place. Somehow, the two sides reached a tentative balance that resulted in him keeping the same pace with Harley's shuffling steps next to him. "Hey kid, give me a little space." He would have laughed at the unintentional pun but nothing was very funny these days.

He was a mess, the truth he could only bear to acknowledge when he was miles removed from everyone he knew, separated into people he had already disappointed and people he could still let down.

The former consisted of those he considered family, who had witnessed his downward spiral. All the nights Pepper had spent alone in their bed. The panic attack Rhodey hadn't mentioned but clearly wanted to. An unexpected job offer Happy had accepted without question because despite Tony's heckling, Happy was excellent at his job and could read tells the way Tony read codes.

The latter was a team Tony didn't feel that he could call his own. Not yet. Or not ever, if they found out how he had fallen apart in the aftermath of the Chitauri Invasion.

Natasha hadn't thought too highly of his reckless behavior during the pallidum poisoning and he doubted she would be impressed by how spectacularly his taunt to the Mandarin had exploded in his face. Pun intended.

 _Prone to self-destructive tendencies_ , check.

And he wasn't even dying this time, it just felt like he was.

The best thing Tony could do, as far as the Avengers were concerned, was to handle this disaster as quickly and as quietly as he could. He would show Fury that he was someone who they could and should call on.

*

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."

Tony wished he could say that this new detail made a difference but they were long past the point of no return. If only Steve had said something earlier, before the clock Ross had set ticked down to twelve hours. As much as he wanted to believe that this was a recent discovery, there was enough evidence to point to the opposite.

Clint's invasion at the Compound was at the top of the list. The travel time was close to a full day from Clint's family vacation spot to the Compound then to the Leipzig airport. Steve must have gotten in touch with Clint as soon as he had learned about these supposed other super soldiers.

Whereas Tony's phone hadn't rung once in the past twenty-four hours.

Just as it hadn't before the Insight Helicarriers had demolished D.C.'s landscape.

Heart pounding and blood frozen, Tony had watched the aircraft with his repulsor engines drop from the sky. Like bombs. He had had JARVIS to check through the logs, praying to whatever deity that might be listening that he hadn't missed a call or a message or an email that could have prevented this.

The confirmation that none of the Avengers had tried to contact him, the man who designed the very technology keeping these helicarriers in the air, hadn't brought him any relief.

"You should have called me." He had told Natasha, intercepting her exit after the congressional hearing. "Why didn't you?"

"We should have done a lot of things." She had replied with an indecipherable tilt of her head before gliding past him. It hadn't answered the question but it had at least acknowledged the need for improvement.

Moments later, someone with the ability to alter his size popped into view, knocking Peter down with a swift kick and using the momentum to propel himself back to Steve's side. "I believe this is yours, Captain America."

Tony was more surprised by how little the fact that Steve had called another stranger to his aid instead of Tony fazed him.

**Four.**

"Lab's all set up, boss." Maria said, her tone as quietly confident as her steps.

"Uh, actually, he's the boss." Tony pointed at Steve, realizing a beat too late that the correction was unnecessary because Maria hadn't been speaking to him. Though, in his defense, it was an easy mistake to make since, well, he was technically her employer.

Before the dust had settled from SHIELD's fall, Maria had an interview scheduled with the Human Resources department. One that she had made herself as a demonstration of her skills since her resume was heavily redacted. One that JARVIS had kept on the calendar because Tony could see the desperation she was trying to pass off as arrogance. The intelligence agencies had been out for blood and Stark Industries boasted a formidable legal team.

Awkwardly, Tony tried to cover up his mistake with his usual rambling. "I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler." He had meant it lightly but judging by their frowns, it hadn't come across that way.

Happy had always said Tony's sense of humor needed work.

Steve straightened up, all military precision as if he hadn't heard Tony at all. "What's the word on Strucker?"

"NATO's got him." Maria confirmed.

"The two enhanced?" Steve asked.

Maria tapped at the StarkPad. "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins."

Their voices faded as they strolled away.

Fiddling with the controls, Tony replayed the scene in his head and swore quietly.

Steve and Maria probably thought he was fishing for compliments, his ego bruised and his mood bitter. Exactly as Natasha had written in her report; _textbook narcissism_.

The trouble with people who run on instinct was that they tended to dig their heels in their snap judgments and bet everything on their gut feelings, because to do otherwise led to questions and doubts about their other convictions made under similar circumstances. Spies operated similarly; they were so good at reading people that they seldom took another glance.

It had taken Tony years to try to get both Steve and the SHIELD agents to see past the performance of his public persona and the flaws he had worked to correct. And he had just undone all of that hard work in less than a minute.

Damn it.

Well, he would have to try harder, play up the cooperation and tone down the sarcasm. And, of course, continue to pay for everything, design everything, and make everyone look cooler.

*

"You seriously think I'm going to listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig? You're lucky you're not in one of these cells."

Tony didn't have a good reason to justify their actions or a witty one-liner to throw Ross off of this warpath. Not when Ross was right, they had caused millions of dollars in property damage to the airport and no one was laughing.

The director of the Stark Relief Foundation, already working overtime to coordinate with and assist local agencies in Bucharest and Berlin, had sounded completely overwhelmed when he had called. Known by and hired for her unprecedented organizational skills, their conversation had been uncharacteristically filled with half-finished thoughts and riddled with interruptions from her staff.

They were all in over their heads, long past the limits of Tony's considerably deep pockets.

Silently, he followed Ross down the hallway and through a set of security doors before coming to a stop in a heavily guarded room. Rows of monitors, each one displaying a cell, flickered ominously. His gaze snagged on Wanda's, her hunched form a product of the shock collar and straight-jacket. She should be in school instead of an underwater prison.

He should have spoken up when Steve wanted to add her to the Avengers roster but he had deferred to Steve's call in an effort to prove that he didn't need to be the boss and was happy to play the financial support role.

A mistake that he wished he could fix. One of many, actually, because he hadn't just been part of the broken system, he had been enabling it.

 

**Five.**

"Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong." The admission came easier than Tony had thought it would.

The facts had been laid out in front of him only an hour ago. Zemo had murdered then impersonated Dr. Broussard in order to activate the Winter Soldier, who was conveniently in custody due to the bombing that Zemo had framed him for.

"That's a first." Sam scoffed, his face twisting into something Tony hadn't seen before but recognized all the same. Disgust. Suspicion. That explained the Mark Fuhramn jab.

And just like that, he was right back to the beginning.

Tony swallowed down the disappointment and despair, sour and bitter on his tongue. There was no changing their minds-

No, this was no time for wallowing. He needed to push his personal shit aside and focus.

"Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get." He appealed to Sam's loyalty toward Steve, the one person the Avengers had rallied around. Sam's suddenly focused gaze told Tony that it was the right tactic. "We don't know each other very well. You don't have to-"

"Hey, it's alright." Sam interrupted, looking uneasy with the prospect of Tony sharing his feelings. His eyes drifted to a point beyond Tony's shoulder and Tony realized with a start that it wasn't discomfort he was seeing before, but guilt. Why?

Tony hadn't said anything accusatory or critical; he had only stated the truth.

They didn't know each other very well.

Sam sighed. "Look, I'll tell you, but you have to go alone and as a _friend_."

It was impossible to miss the emphasis placed on the last word and the challenge in Sam's eyes. So that was what the guilt was all about, Sam didn't think Tony was Steve's friend.

"Easy."

*

"You seem a little defensive." Tony quipped, making light of the fact that Steve still held his shield in a block position because the alternative was too heavy to consider.

Steve's expression softened slightly but the lines of his shoulders remained tense. "It's been a long day."

Bucky's aim didn't waver, his gaze trained on Tony was as cool and hard as the metal of his arm.

"At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you." He hoped they wouldn't notice the specificity in the wording. Right now, they had a bigger threat to address but later on... While the bombing in Vienna and the escape from the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building had been orchestrated by Zemo, the rampage in Bucharest and the destruction in Leipzig were Bucky's doing. Extenuating circumstances or not, the U.N. and the German government wanted answers.

"Then why are you here?" Steve frowned, suspicion ringing through his voice as though he couldn't fathom any other reason for Tony being there. His shield was still raised.

Tony shrugged, arms out wide, keeping his body language as non-threatening as possible as he approached the two super soldiers. "Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe." He forced himself to look away, another concession, and shifted his weight to one foot as he leaned against the wall, deliberately putting himself at further disadvantage. "Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I got to arrest myself."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." Steve shifted the shield to his side. "It's good to see you, Tony."

"You too, Cap." Tony glance at Bucky. "Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop..." He arched an eyebrow at the gun still leveled at him.

The gun that wasn't lowered until Steve signed for Bucky to do so, a sign of trust that highlighted the lengths the two of them would go for each other. It was admirable and more than a little inspiring and made Tony miss Rhodey terribly.

He changed his mind on the first two points when a video of a familiar road began playing on a too-small screen and wished, more than anything, that he had a friend by his side.

Bucky and Steve did.

 

**One.**

"No, no, don't. Don't help me. Don't help me."

Tony's outstretched hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into his palms and leaving sharp half-moon marks that would fade within minutes, as he watched his best friend struggle with something much more permanent.

It wasn't fair.

With visible effort, Rhodey pushed himself to his hands and knees before turning to sit down on the floor with a grunt. "One hundred and thirty eight." He dragged Tony's still outstretched arm down with a huff. "One hundred and thirty eight combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew them. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the same with these Accords. I signed because it was the right thing to do."

"Is it?" The question slipped out before he could fully think it through. Doubt had a funny way of accelerating every thought into desperation, grabbing for any solution and slicing through the tangled uncertainties like a blade. Sometimes that solved the riddle, sometimes not. But at least he would be dealing with a whole different set of problems then, hopefully easier than the previous ones.

He would rather be a reckless risk than an anxious coward.

Action was always better than inaction.

Or so he thought.

Rhodey would still be walking if Tony had let Steve go at the airport.

"Yeah. If we can't accept limitations, we're no better than the bad guys. Right?"

Tony winced at his own words, spoken a lifetime and a team ago, and shook his head at his own naivety. His gaze snagged on the intricate braces encasing his best friend's legs, gleaming unforgivingly in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

Like Winter Soldier's arm under the dim street light of a familiar road.

_It wasn't him, Tony. HYDRA had control of his mind!_

Like Captain America's shield before it slammed down and after it fell with a clatter.  

"Pretty sure I'm the bad guy here, Platypus." The confession came easier than he thought it would, perhaps because he had known it to be true for some time. There had to be a reason why Fury had only offered him the consultant position, why his phone hadn't rung as he watched the Project Insight Helicarriers he had helped design crash into the D.C. landscape, why the remaining Avengers sided with Steve during this so-called Civil War.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Rhodey huffed, bumping his shoulder against Tony's. "I signed the Accords too or did you already forget that big speech I made earlier about my very impressive one hundred and thirty eight combat missions?"

"Really? One hundred and thirty eight? You don't say!" Tony widened his eyes with overdone shock and exaggerated awe.

Rhodey moved to kick him, a response honed by years of dealing with Tony's antics, and hissed out an apology when the metal frame jabbed into Tony's shin.

At the reminder of Rhodey's injury, far more painful than the bruise surely forming on his leg, Tony dropped the teasing look, flooded by waves of familiar guilt.

_You gotta watch your back with this guy. There's a chance he's gonna break it._

"You don't get to take all the credit." Rhodey drawled, seemingly oblivious to the change in Tony's mood except that his voice was carefully casual. "I'm just as much of a _bad guy_ -" His fingers curled into air quotes. "-as you are."

"No, you're not." Tony's response was reflexive, as natural as breathing. Rhodey was the best, the absolute best. He hadn't just been a rock throughout Tony's M.I.T. years, he had been a _zen rock garden._ Solid and calming, a certainty Tony could rely on, one that he had tested repeatedly and been surprised by the results every time.

Rhodey was loyal, kind, and forgiving. Traits Tony had mistakenly dismissed as those of a sycophant or a pushover before learning quickly that Rhodey was neither. There were moments where Tony felt like he didn't deserve Rhodey's friendship, usually when he had pushed too far once or twice or maybe the count was in the double digits by this point, but Rhodey would only challenge Tony to be better.

Not because Tony needed to earn Rhodey's approval but because Tony needed to do this for himself, to learn and believe that he was someone who deserved friends, happiness, and all the other things written in Hallmark cards.

The idea that Rhodey was anything but wonderful was automatically rejected as false and the suggestion that Rhodey was anything like Tony - petty, narcissistic, childish, the list went on and on - was simply wrong.

Rhodey shrugged. "Sam thought so."

Every thought ground to a halt. Alarms blared. Emergency lights flashed. "What?"

"He said I was playing both sides, remember?"

Tony didn't. His memory of that meeting was haunted by the confrontation with Charles Spencer's mother and fragmented by the electromagnetic headache from using the B.A.R.F. technology. He had - lazily, selfishly - let his mind go blank the second he heard Rhodey speak, assuming the Avengers would be more receptive toward someone honorable and trustworthy like Rhodey.

Apparently not.

"And they sure fought us like we're the bad guys." Rhodey grimaced.

Tony pushed past the replay of Rhodey's fall and rewound his memories further back, realizing with a startling clarity that Steve's team had fought Rhodey in the exact same way as they had fought him; no punches pulled despite knowing he was fighting with one hand tied behind his back.

Because of Ultron, the _murder bot_ that the Avengers believed he had created, no matter how many times he refuted that misconception or how many pieces of evidence he presented. It seemed like Tony was doomed to leave a legacy built on the wrong things and the Sokovia Accords was just the latest. He had attributed their aggression to their frustration at the situation, misdirected at the closest and loudest target, and he understood it.

Accepted it.

Deserved it.

But Rhodey didn't.

The tanker Steve had thrown at him, one that had been filled with petrol instead of water.

The way Ant Man had plucked War Machine out of the air like pulling wings off of a fly.

The vehicles Wanda had rained down on him without a second's hesitation, red mist calling for blood.

Rhodey deserved none of it yet he had received the same treatment as Tony had.

Would Natasha have scolded Rhodey like a misbehaving child? Would Clint have spat his vitriol at Rhodey as though he held no responsibility for where he ended up? Would Steve have driven his shield into Rhodey's chest?

Tony's heart clenched when no answer immediately came forth. "They're wrong." He bit out. "I'll- I'll fix it, somehow. Set them straight so they know just how awesome you are." The world needed the Avengers. Their mass exodus was sure to cast doubt on the Accords and, by extension, the politicians who had supported the document and who wanted to appease their constituents. It was only a matter of time before Steve and the others were granted pardons and welcomed back with everything forgiven and forgotten, before Tony was the one to shoulder the blame and be remembered as the culprit.

"Don't bother."

It was an oddly dismissive response and something about Rhodey's indifference threw Tony off-balance after spending his whole life trying to live up to Captain America's standards, first as a result of Howard's parenting and later as a consequence of his self-invented role as Iron Man. "What?"

"Don't bother." Rhodey repeated. "I don't care what they think of me, I know I'm right. There has to be a line drawn between superheroes and superpowered vigilantes, that's not going to change because they disagree. I'm too awesome to cave to peer pressure and too old to waste my time proving myself to people who don't matter." He nudged Tony with a sweaty elbow. "You shouldn't either."

"I'm younger than you." Tony blurted out the first thought that came to mind, which was most definitely not the point, but there was no going back so he ran a hand through his hair and eyed Rhodey's buzzcut, chosen to disguise the receding hairline, meaningfully.  

"Asshole."

It was clearly a joke but Tony couldn't help but stiffen at the insult, however well-meaning. "That's one of the nicer things I've heard recently." His tone was sharper than he had wanted it to be, the chuckle that was supposed to accompany it stuck in his throat.

Next to him, Rhodey tensed.

"Never mind. You want something to drink-"

Rhodey's gaze snapped upward. "FRIDAY?"

"Captain Rogers labelled Boss' request for Ms. Maximoff to remain within the Compound as internment-"

"I also called her a weapon of mass destruction-"

"-Ms. Romanoff accused Boss' ego as the cause for the Avengers' split-"

"To be fair, I called her a double agent-"

"-both she and Mr. Barton mentioned _back_ in their interactions-"

Tony winced. There was no defending those because those were dick moves.

"-Mr. Wilson compared Boss to Mark Fuhrman-"

"The racist cop from the O.J. trial?" The lines of Rhodey's face were as harsh and set as his voice.

"I'm pretty sure it was a joke. You know, good cop, bad cop..." Tony trailed off with a helpless shrug. Truth to be told, he wasn't really sure what Sam meant and hadn't wanted to dwell on it. And now he was, remembering how quickly and belligerently the comment had been thrown out, like something Sam hadn't needed to think about because it was something he had believed to be true.

How low must Sam think of Tony to jump to that particular reference?

How high did Tony think of himself that their aggression caught him off-guard?

"I'm not laughing." Rhodey said, quiet and certain and _seething_. "Did you laugh?"

Tony swallowed tightly; once upon a time, he might have faked a chuckle to go along with the jibes at his expense but he had been barely holding onto his composure after Germany, which had later been shot to pieces in Siberia. "No."

Silence stretched across the vast room until it was an almost tangible thrum.

Tony's fingers twitched against his thigh, mind racing for something, anything, to break this tension that he couldn't help but feel responsible for only to come up blank. He felt absurdly grateful when Rhodey spoke.

"They're wrong. They're wrong about the Accords and they're wrong about me and _they're so fucking wrong about you_." Rhodey's tone was a mix of a challenge, a reprimand, and a guarantee.

Something loosened in Tony's chest at hearing those words out loud, a sudden shift like a camera lens losing its haziness and coming into focus. He had believed the Avengers were right to think the worst of him. After all, he had thought the same even as he battled his demons and confronted his fears to become someone better, someone the Avengers never gave a second glance to after that first impression. He blinked, the cognitive dissonance between knowing he had changed and accepting that the Avengers would never see him different fading away, a fog lifting to reveal clear skies.

"I mean it, Tony. _We_ are too old to waste _our_ time proving _ourselves_ to people who don't matter." A fierce determination flashed in Rhodey's eyes, as intense as Steve's look of resolve in the bunker but nowhere as destructive. Though it had the potential to be, if his glare was anything to go by as he warned Tony against bringing up both their age difference and his haircut.

Wisely, Tony kept his very valid comments to himself and nodded empathetically. The scrapes and bruises protested as his face broke into a smile but he ignored the small twinges of pain.

They would heal with time.

*

"I am sorry." Vision said, breaking the silence they had been nursing between them as they stared into the crater in the heart of a place that was supposed to be a new beginning.

"It's not your fault." Tony replied automatically.

"I am sorry for what happened to you." Vision clarified.

"Oh." Tony never would have thought hearing those words would make a difference but somehow it did. The Avengers were something that happened to him but not anymore. "I'm sorry for what happened to you too."

"Thank you."

*

The bruises had faded by the time Peter and his unusually attractive aunt showed up at Stark Industries to discuss the details of the internship Peter had definitely not applied for but had been accepted to anyway.

As he and May reviewed Peter's obligations, Tony could feel the kid staring at him and wished he had forgone the arm sling. It made things look a lot worse than they actually were. A hairline fracture was one of the more minor injuries he had suffered as Iron Man, though Tony doubted Peter would be reassured to hear that.

Pepper hadn't. And neither had Rhodey and Happy.

May tapped her pen against the physical fitness section of the contract and hummed thoughtfully.

Happy had pushed for Stark Industries employees to be able to work out while at work, which had been very well received, and came up with the idea to extend the policy to the interns when Tony had shared how Peter would love to play football but couldn't in order to keep his powers a secret. Regular exercise would help explain Peter's new athleticism, enough to be plausible so he could play sports if he truly wanted to. It had seemed like a good idea at the time but maybe May saw it as overreaching.

"It's negotiable." Tony said hastily. "It's really more of a perk than a requirement. Physical fitness is so important and we just implemented -"

"I think it's great." May looked up with a smile. "You really take care of your employees."

Tony blinked, taken aback by the note of admiration in her voice.

"I told you Mr. Stark is the best." Peter declared.

"You know, I'm starting to see that." May signed the paperwork with a flourish.

*

"I’ve spent half my life trying to keep this technology out of the hands of a Stark." The pristine video quality meant that Tony could see the individual spittle flying out of Hank's mouth. Ew. "What makes you think I'd tell you anything?"

"Because I don't want it?" Tony huffed. "And you most certainly don't have it at the moment, Scott Lang does or did you miss the show-and-tell in Germany?"

"Dad, move." Hope all but shoved Hank out of the way. "What's the final damage report from Leipzig?"

"The good news is that there were no casualties." Tony started. "The bad news is that that's the only good news I have."

"Then that's not good enough, is it?" Something in her expression said they were no longer talking about the airport. This was bigger than one incident, one country.

"No."

"Well, let's make it better." Her stare held the same kind of honest conviction that Steve's had but none of the self-righteousness.

It was refreshing.

*

"You?" Tony gaped. "Seriously, you? Defending Earth from magical threats?

"That's what I said." Stephen sniffed. Every bit as condescending as he had been in a bespoke suit at a fundraiser as he was now in a tunic with a cloak attached at his shoulders, seated in a room filled with various artifacts. "You used to be faster on the uptake. Have you been hit on the head recently?"

"Actually, yes." Rhodey chimed in unsolicited. "He tried to tell a group of _superheroes_ -" His air quotes were as sarcastic as his tone. "-that they weren't above the law."

"Right." Stephen actually looked chastised. "Is that what you're here to talk to me about?"

Tony arched an eyebrow. "Are you going to hit me on the head if I said yes?"

"No. I'd ask you to come in and have a seat."

*

"Apologies for the short notice but I have received requests from a team of enhanced individuals who would like to add their names to those who are in support of the amended Sokovia Accords so that they can continue to protect the citizens of this world." It was a testament to T'Challa's political prowess that he was able to affect an expression of sincerity even as lies fell from his lips.

Nearly half of the newscasters remarked on the timing of this development, which had all the markings of a publicity stunt. A theory that was proven when the double doors swung open and the Avengers filed in with their heads held high.

"Continue?" Rhodey scoffed from his place on the couch. "They took a year off."

"And what a wonderful year it was." Vision commented without an ounce of malice, merely stating a fact.

The others, with definitively more feelings on the subject, grumbled in agreement.

*

Bucky had chosen to be placed in cryostasis until HYDRA's control triggers could be removed from his mind.

Of all the emotions Tony expected to feel about this news, he didn't anticipate pity.

*

Happy started a pool on how long it would take for the Avengers to show up at the Compound. He was disappointed, and out twenty dollars, when none of them showed in the first week after their return to the United States.

Tony knew better than to think it was because they had learned their lesson or understood where the line had been drawn. They were waiting for him to go to them, as he had done in the past, as if nothing had changed.

*

Patience had never been Steve's strong suit so it was no surprise when he began calling by the end of the month.

FRIDAY took great pleasure in placing him on indefinite hold.

After a few days, Steve asked to leave a message instead. The voicemails were either informing Tony of an upcoming mandatory Avengers meeting or reprimanding Tony for missing said meeting, arrogantly assuming that Tony still placed them first.

When the reality was the opposite.

*

Two weeks later, the Avengers changed tactics.

It would be impressive if not for the fact that it had taken them this long to figure out something that should be obvious, that Tony wasn't going to be jumping through their hoops any longer.

Natasha started making inquiries about Tony's schedule, where and when and with who, trying to ambush him, catching him off-guard if they couldn't get him to go to them.

Too bad FRIDAY could see them coming from miles away and she had quite the vicious streak and the creativity to match.

Everett complained about the unauthorized travel expenses, wondering when had Steve turned into a Katy Perry fan and therefore felt the need to hit every city on her tour list

*

Tony made a surprise appearance at Hope's press conference, a show of support and solidarity as she announced her decision to don the Wasp suit following Scott's plea deal. He redirected the attention to Hope and kept his answers brief, with the exception of a small tangent about the new additions to the Iron Spider armor he would be testing at the Compound the next day.

It was the first time he had given any concrete information on his whereabouts in six weeks. It also happened to be on the date that Peter had selected in the betting pool. After all, prom was coming up and the kid could use some extra funds.

*

"Tony, this has gone on long enough." Steve's judgmental glare was significantly less effective through the security feed. "We need to talk about this."

"We are talking." Tony replied distractedly; his attention on the camouflage function he had installed into the Iron Spider armor.

Peter skittered across the ceiling, nearly undetectable if not for the stream of exciting muttering. "This is so cool. Oh my god, this is so cool."

Through eyelashes curled like hooks, Natasha peered up at the camera, trying to reel him back in. "I get why you don't want us back." The way she had said it sounded more like a reprimand of Tony than any self-awareness on their part. "But you're hurting the team, Tony."

He checked the time, they had about another hour before they should leave for lunch at the Sanctum. Maybe earlier. Wong and Vision were having a cook-off and the results were guaranteed to be amazing. "I'm not hurting _my_ team."

Unsurprisingly, none of the Avengers picked up the emphasis.

Wanda muttered something under her breath. Red sparks danced at her fingertips as her hands flexed open and closed at her sides.

Shaking his head, Sam looped an arm around Wanda's shoulders. "C'mon, man, this is bigger than you."

"It's bigger than you too. It's bigger than all of us." Absently, Tony noted the Avengers talked more _about_ him than _to_ him and wondered if it had always been that way before deciding he didn't really care, as long as it wasn't the way it would continue to be. "But then again, I've been saying that for years. You guys just didn't listen."

Peter gave him a thumb's up as he shimmered back into view.

Steve's expression was as grave as his tone, wielding disappointment like a threat. "Tony, if you don't start making an effort, I'm afraid you'll no longer be an Avenger."

The irony wasn't particularly funny but Tony felt the corners of his lips curl up, not out of humor but of freedom, of realizing the prize they had held out of his reach wasn't worth jumping through all the hoops. "Fine by me."

Raised voices filtered through the speakers, a toxic combination of disapproval and vindication.

"Quitting isn't the answer." Steve chided.

Sam frowned. "This is just childish."

"You were never a hero." Wanda spat. "You're a killer."

"Tony, let your ego go for one second and think." Natasha hissed.

"You were right about him from the start, Tasha." Clint sneered. "Tony Stark, not recommended."

Shrugging, Tony disconnected the feed. He had nothing to prove to them.

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
